KIDS' Q&A: TONY DITERLIZZI AND HOLLY BLACK
Kirkus Reviews praises the Spiderwick Chronicles as "handsomely designed, and extravagantly illustrated...[They] pack quite a punch." In our Kids' Q&A, authors Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black recommend their favorite writers, describe their varied pets, and muse about what they wanted to be when they grew up. Read their answers here and save 30% on their new book, Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastical World around You.

KIDS' Q&A: D. J. MACHALE
Rico of Powells.com calls D. J. MacHale's latest book "Absorbing....an excellent fantasy for fans of 'Harry Potter' and Philip Pullman — and will likely ensnare many other young readers, as well." Save 20% on Pendragon, Book 6: The Rivers of Zadaa and read our Kids' Q&A with D. J. MacHale to find out about his favorite Simpsons episode, the last good book he read, his most memorable teacher, and more.

HALLOWEEN FAVORITES
Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to... read! Here at Powell's, one of our favorite things about books is that they don't give you cavities. Take these new Halloween books: you may feel a chill running up and down your spine, and the uncanny feeling of being watched, but you won't need to floss after you read them.

KIDS' HOT TITLES
In marked contrast to the weather outside, these books are hot! Snuggle under a blanket while perusing the back-in-print Jenny's Cat Club books by Esther Averill. Drink some hot cocoa while learning random facts in Children's Miscellany. Warm your toes by the fire as you read Chitra Divakaruni's The Mirror of Fire and Dreaming. Click here to read about more flaming, sizzling, smoking-hot books on our list.

ORIGINAL ESSAY: CHRIS CRUTCHER
According to the American Library Association, there were 547 formal attempts to ban books last year. In honor of Banned Books Week, which takes place every year in September, Chris Crutcher shared his experience with censorship: "The people who ban the books and the people denied access to stories have a lot more to lose here than I have, and that's why I take time to state my case — again and again and again." In Crutcher's newest young adult novel, The Sledding Hill, he states his case symbolically in the grief-induced muteness of the protagonist and (in a meta-fictional twist) in the censorship of a book authored by one "Chris Crutcher." Read the rest of the essay to learn about how Crutcher's background in family therapy informs his literary choices and fuels his passionate stance against censorship, then save 20% when you buy The Sledding Hill.

NEW ARRIVALS
It's not just the leaves outside that are changing — we're always getting in new books. And while everything outside is preparing for hibernation, Powell's is bursting with fresh titles, like Leonardo the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems (Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!), and Flush by Carl Hiaasen.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Here at Powell's it's been raining children's authors during the month of October. On the 10th, Alex Sanchez, winner of the 2004 Lambda Literary Award, read from his latest young adult novel, Rainbow Road. The legendary Brian Jacques brought his latest in the Redwall series: High Rhulain. On the 6th, beloved illustrator Mary Engelbreit shared her whimsical collection of nursery rhymes, Mary Engelbreit's Mother Goose. And on Wednesday, October 12, Karen Karbo read from Minerva Clark Gets a Clue at Powell's Books in Beaverton. But don't put away your umbrellas yet! Still to come, on Sunday, October 23, Adam Gopnik, known to adults as a regular contributor to the New Yorker, brings his imaginative and erudite novel for young readers, The King in the Window, to Powell's City of Books. Check our calendar for more upcoming author events.

NANCY DREW AND BEYOND: THE WORLD OF KIDS' MYSTERIES
Kids' mysteries have come a long way from Nancy Drew. With the 75th anniversary of the world's most famous girl sleuth coming up, a little investigative work seemed appropriate: who exactly is holding the hallowed magnifying glass these days? Nancy's latest incarnation — Nancy Drew, Girl Detective — is a fast-paced, modernized take on Carolyn Keene's classics. But for more, shall we say, unconventional girl detectives, meet Gilda Joyce, Psychic Investigator by Jennifer Allison, or dive into the Sammy Keyes mysteries by Wendelin Van Draanen. Debutantes these girls are not, but they're cunning, witty, and prone to hilarious disguises. Philip Pullman's Sally Lockhart mysteries (which star an orphan in Victorian London — do mysteries get any better?) are destined to become classics. If you like a little fantasy with your whodunit, The Sisters Grimm: Fairy Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley will satisfy your taste for both clues and bewitched trees. And don't forget the Wright and Wong mysteries by Laura J. Burns, which include the world's first literary detective with Asperger's Syndrome. Nancy's legacy lives on!

	Nancy Drew, Girl Detective by Carolyn Keene
	Gilda Joyce, Psychic Investigator by Jennifer Allison
	Sammy Keyes mysteries by Wendelin Van Draanen
	Sally Lockhart mysteries by Philip Pullman
	The Sisters Grimm: Fairy Tale Detectives by Michael Buckley
	Wright and Wong mysteries by Laura J. Burns